Page 42 - Demo

Behold the humble cavalletti. My Italian is next to nonexistent, but I have been told that the word cavallettitranslates to %u201clittle horses%u201d, an appropriate moniker forsomething so basic to everyday training. The singular form isactually cavalletto so, in the interest of multilingual correctness,I will be employing the word cavalletto where appropriate.A cavalletto functions as a hybrid between a trotting pole andan actual jump. It usually takes the form of a 10- or 12-foot pole,bolted on either end to a wooden X. Depending on whether youturn the cavalletto so that the pole is suspended underneath theX, to the side of the X, or on top, you get three different heightswith which to challenge your horse. We tend to take cavalletti for granted, treating them as usefulonly for introducing babies to their first jumps, or for blockingaccess to our driveways during horse shows. But we can makefar better use of them, particularly in improving both a horse%u2019sjumping and his flatwork. Used in combination with trottingpoles, they offer an almost infinite selection of possibilities.One caveat here: stacking your cavalletti in order to create aselection of larger jumps is no longer recommended. If a horseshould hit such a structure, the cavalletti have a tendency to rolland get caught up in his legs, creating a dangerous situation.When you want to introduce larger fences, go instead to standards and poles, which collapse safely when hit.Cavalletti For JumpingAsk any show jumper, and he or she will tell you that a horsehas only so many big jumps in his legs. That%u2019s why in the arenasand riding rings of many jumper barns, you%u2019ll see a course laidout not at 4%u20196%u201d, but at 3%u2019 or even 2%u2019, or it may even be constructedlargely of cavalletti.Virtually all of the skills needed to jump a course can be testedwith a jump built at 1%u20199%u201d. (Although cavalletti can be built topractically any size, about 1%u20199%u201d is a common maximum height.)This approach has two main advantages. First, it is much easieron the course builder (I%u2019d rather carry one cavalletto than twostandards and three poles, any day), and second, it puts far lessstrain on the horse%u2019s legs. Small obstacles mean less impact onjoints, tendons, and ligaments, and that means a horse with morelongevity in the show ring. And almost any exercise that can beperformed with standards and poles can be approximated withcavalletti.Cavalletti are particularly useful to those teaching young riders and/or young horses. When exercises must be changed frequently, lugging lumber begins to take up a large part of a lesson.Cavalletti also have the advantage of being less intimidating toyoung minds, human or equine - they%u2019re just less daunting,somehow, than standards and a crossrail. We all discover somewhere along the way that jumping acourse is less about the jumping than it is about the steering.Turning practice, as simple or as diabolical as you like, can easilybe constructed with a cavalletti course. For novice riders, you can begin with the cavalletti at the lowest height, only a couple of inches off the ground. A simple start(but nonetheless challenging to ride) is a three-loop serpentine,with cavalletti placed on the center line near the top, bottom, andCreative CavellettiWorkby Karen Briggs42 Arizona Horse Connection March, 2026continued on page 44